About oh, 9 months or so ago, I got this idea to design dresses based on the Four Seasons. This came about while going through my box of stuff for mini top hats and I saw a silk fall leaf that was used for decorations for my brother's wedding and thought "Oh, a dress with fall leaves would be pretty" and then ran with the idea to make formals for each season. I recently finished Fall and my friend Kayla wore it at A-kon 22. It got a lot of compliments and we did a photo shoo with her wearing it. I am still waiting on the rest of the shots, but I thought I would share the really nice few I've received or found to see what people thought of the idea.

Up close with her fabulously large hat I made: http://www.cosplay.com/photo/2966315/

Full shot with me next to her in my Victorian gown: http://www.cosplay.com/photo/2964394/

I will try to post more shots as I find them if anyone cares to see them.

sapphiredolphin

07-04-2011, 10:43 AM

I think that's pretty cool! I'm not sure if I would have recognized it as fall off the bat though. Either way it looks nice.

Mehdia

07-04-2011, 12:29 PM

Thanks a lot. It wasn't meant to be over the top Fall, but more inspired by it. I mostly wanted the colors of fall and the leaves on it. But again, thanks for the compliment. I think in the end, she looked very pretty wearing it and I felt I did a good job on the construction of it. The photo shoot we did really captured a lot of the colors in the costume nicely.

sephygoth

07-11-2011, 12:42 PM

Maybe a few more trinkets around the fall part, it's very clean and smooth, but little indication it's "fall" Fall colors sure, perfect, now you need them little things:
Take Thanksgiving for instance, I know it's lame, but classic pic oc a basket with food busting out of it: use some weaved/basket ideas for say a collar,cuffs,etc. More Canadian Maple leaves either embroidered or placed somewhere. Things like that, but without too much junk, it's hard!

A few years ago there was a cosplay shindig at a friend's place planned for "fairys named and inspired by the Month". It was quite the awsome idea, Think of how tough that would be on one dress! ^^
I think someone did your idea at a con called Arisia in 2008 in the Boston area. But it was falling apart/off (it had stuff I swore were leaves under a white shouldered puffy dress ... and I wasn't sure if that's what it was, but your thread here reminded me of that most. Oh, and the winner of the costuming at that con,was an Ice queen, she and I traded ideas, but she ended up mailing me some fancey icey trim...which I did in fact use in her honor.

I'd like to see what you've come up with! As a fan of elements, getting those representative attributes is tough! Straying away from teh smoothness you have, just the colors are enough , but sometimes there's just not enough room for all them ideas.

Mehdia

07-11-2011, 05:55 PM

Thanks for the input. I had originally thought of sewing some of the leaves to the organdy on the gown, but when I pinned them, it just looked jumbled, even when I took a lot of them away. Overall, I wanted it to be mostly inspired by fall, but not to look cheesy. I do want to add to it in ways that can be taken away if she just wants to wear a pretty outfit or can be added back on if we want it to say "Fall" a little more.

sephygoth

07-11-2011, 08:33 PM

an be taken away if she just wants to wear a pretty outfit or can be added back on if we want it to say "Fall" a little more.
yeah, a LITTLE here and there right? make them velcro, magnets,snaps, whatrever, but ppl will get the hint with like 2 or 3 leaves.
for the summer, I was thinking along the lines of morrigan, from darkstalkers.....use grass(thicker strans) as the feather part at the top of some yellowopera gloves like hers, you can still wear clothing under the gloves(say at shoulder height) of some other summer color/theme. Could use that theme for the petticoat or somewhere at the base of the dress too ^^
dammit! you've given me inspiration! I'm still improving my original as well! don't worry, nothing liek yours, quite literally LACK of colors... :juggler:

Mehdia

07-11-2011, 09:15 PM

Yeah, a little here and there can't hurt it. It just doesn't need to be "Ah! That poor girl is being attacked by leaves!"

I have some sketches for each of the others but I'm not sure when I will get to start working on them since at least winter will kill a budget. It's going to involve a lot of white, silver, faux fur, tons of beads to make it look like ice crystals...yeah, I might go insane but that's the fun in doing original works.

sephygoth

07-13-2011, 01:13 PM

It's going to involve a lot of white, silver, faux fur, tons of beads to make it look like ice crystals...yeah, I might go insane but that's the fun in doing original works.

Iman...the stuff that "didn't make the cut" on my iceyness....I've got so much that just felt like it junked up the cosplays.
Oddly enough, I'm not a bead guy, and I had the majority of the details in that pile...the were ready, I did all the work, then decided...not for me, not for this character.

I'll take some shots and slap them on my flickr soon here to show ya, maybe get ideas/reference materials.
and the sketches, yeah don't post em, don't show them, don't do anything that would potentially make this idea NOT yours anymore...I'd hate to comment on a pic of this knowing it wasn't the original designer >.>

Mehdia

07-13-2011, 04:44 PM

I would love to see what you have done. I really enjoy seeing other peoples' takes on the same types of ideas I have.